I'll Take Your Ten and Raise You Twenty
by AyumiSunset
Summary: Ayame and Shigure place a bet on who will be the first to win Tohru's affections, Kyo or Yuki. The only problem is, the three of them seem to be too dense to realize their own feelings... So Aya and Shigure decide to help them along.
1. The Bet

**Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine. Which is probably why I sit around and write about it when I should be doing my homework.**

_**I'll Take Your Ten And Raise You Twenty**_

_**The Bet**_

Ayame's fingers drummed on the tabletop in a persistently irritating rhythm, though only Hatori seemed to notice how annoying it was becoming. Shigure was too caught up in his coffee and book to notice anything else. The trio had been sitting there silently for the last twenty minutes, listening to nothing but the birds in the background, and Aya's fingers drumming on the tabletop.

"Anytime you want to stop that…" Growled Hatori finally, breaking the silence through gritted teeth. Aya's hand paused for a moment, then slapped the table.

"Its just so damn boring around here!" Cried the silver-haired man, his eyes lighting up with a passionate fire only complete and utter boredom can ensue.

Shigure's eyes peered from over his book, and he adjusted his glasses in a melancholy sort of fashion. "Hmm, I agree. Nothing particularly exciting has happened for a while, has it?"

The other two murmured agreement. Even Hatori had to admit that without the constant drama, life had taken a rather suffocating turn. Even Akito hadn't been getting sick lately.

"Well…" Added Shigure as an afterthought, "Unless you count the sparking romance between Kyo and Tohru." The dog's eyes dance cheerfully at the thought, and he fingered his pencil thoughtfully.

His thoughts were interrupted by a scoff from a certain silver-haired dress maker who sat across from him. "You mean the kindling, passionate fire of romance igniting in the heart of Tohru and Yuki!" Corrected Aya, a frown crossing his perfect features.

Shigure promptly tucked his pencil behind his ear. "I don't know what you're talking about. There's definitely some passion between Kyo and Tohru."

The doctor sighed, and leaned back in his chair, grasping his coffee along the way. They were going to be at this for a while.

"You are sadly mistaken!" Ayame was proclaiming, "Yuki and Tohru's love with surely prevail!"

Shigure threw his hands up in the air, "You're denser than a wall! Tohru definitely loves Kyo!"

This continued for a good seven minutes, before Shigure finally slammed his hands down onto the table in a very final (and loud) sort of way, causing Hatori to awaken from his nap.

"Okay. If that's the way you want it…" He began,

"It is!" Interjected Aya.

"…Then we'll just have to bet on it. Ten on Kyo to win Tohru's affections by the end of the year."

Hatori raised his eyebrows, mouth opening to add his own opinions on this, but was cut off by Aya's extraordinarily loud indignation.

"Ten? A year? That's all? No no no. TWENTY on Yuki to win Tohru's heart by the end of the month."

"Thirty!"

"Forty!"

"Fifty!"

"Seventy-five PLUS a week's stay at the other's house!"

"Done!"

The third, and slightly left out member of their party sighed very deeply. "You two..." He groaned, frowning at both of them, while Aya and Shigure shook on the bet. "You know nothing good will come of this, right?" He asked, but his question was ignored. Shigure and Ayame were already lost in their own thoughts, planning how they would make Tohru fall in love with Kyo/Yuki within that month.

Hatori rose to his feet in defeat. There was nothing he could do for them… They were a lost cause. As he stood, Shigure gathered his book and pencil and followed him, throwing looks back at Aya along the way.

Hatori pulled up to Shigure's house with a slightly vacant expression, watching Tohru trying to break up Kyo and Yuki's fight as Shigure clambered out of the car. Shigure watched them too, for a moment, then shot a look at Hatori.

"I certainly hope Kyo wins. If Ayame stays at my house for a week, Yuki might break things."

**A/N: So, there you are. Humor at last, instead of my usual angst type stuff. Hahahaha, this totally seems like something Aya and Shigure would do, too. And the thought of Aya, Shigure and Hatori all sitting at a coffee shop together was just too serene for me. This is going to be fun!**


	2. Misled Intentions

**Disclaimer: If you still think I own Fruits Basket by now, you should probably stop smoking crack.**

_**Misled Intentions**_

Tohru Honda was busy. Then again, living in a house with three messy young men, wasn't she always? Her brown hair fluttered around her face gracefully as she flitted around the house, trying to sweep, start dinner, dust, and do the dishes all at once. Basically, she was using up all the energy that her tiny body possessed.

The door slammed, and the girl's eyes darted to the source of the noise. A very tired looking orange haired boy had groggily made his way into the household, dropping his bookbag on the floor with a resounding _thud_. He yawned very widely, stretching his arms up towards the ceiling, not yet noticing the exhausted Tohru Honda that stood before him.

"Damn rain…" Mumbled Kyo sleepily, rubbing his eyes in an effort to keep them open. When he blinked them back open, it was to see a tired, yet painfully cheerful Tohru standing before him.

"Hello Kyo-kun! How was training?"

"DAH!" Kyo gave a cry and leapt backwards, startled by the sudden appearance of the girl. "Don't sneak up on me like that! Woah. You look as bad as I feel." His amber eyes swept over her, mouth curling into a frown. "Do you feel okay?"

Tohru nodded. "Oh, yes, I feel just fine!" She chirruped, but it didn't take a genius to tell that she was putting on a brave face. Her skin was flushed, and her breathing ragged.

"Now listen to me!" Cried Kyo, his temper rising, "You don't have to work your ass off anymore then you already do to keep that damn rat and dog happy! You look like shit! Now march your ass up to bed, I'll do the rest of the housework, okay?" He frowned at her, very deeply, as Tohru tried to argue. "GODDAMMIT JUST DO IT!" Screamed the cat finally, hair rising on end. "JESUS CHRIST! TAKE A BREAK FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!"

"I-I… Yes, Kyo-kun." Tohru had given up the fight, finally, and she bowed her head to him, setting down the broom she clutched in her shaking white hands. Kyo breathed in very deeply, the color disappearing from his face. He gave her a gently punch in the shoulder.

"Feel better, okay?" He asked softly. "Doofus."

"Full of tact, as usual." A soft, yet harsh voice came from the open doorway, and the two of them spun around to see the grey-haired Yuki standing in front of them, clutching his dictionary-filled back, which seemed to be poised to strike.

Kyo stepped away from Tohru, fists clenching. His anger-o-meter was rising, if there was such a thing. it had passed 'ticked off' and was moving into the region of 'PISSED'. You could almost see the levels changing on his face. "Shut up you damn rat! What the hell do you know?"

Yuki dropped his bag to the floor, violet eyes narrowing. "A whole lot more then you, apparently, seeing as I can speak civilly to Miss Honda without spitting obscene words in her direction."

"GODAMMIT!" Snarled Kyo, thus proving Yuki's point. Which pissed the poor cat off even more. "JUST-I-YOU-"

"Mmm. Stunning comeback. Should I give you a gold star, or would you rather have a sucker?" The expression on Yuki's face clearly showed that his anger carried over from earlier that day – a little too much stress at the student council meeting he had attended earlier. His own fists clenched, and he smiled bitterly at Kyo's reaction.

"OUTSIDE. NOW." Snarled the orange-haired fireball, and Yuki gladly obliged. Any chance to kick ass was quite welcome. Blowing off steam seemed like a frightfully good idea at the moment.

And so the duo trooped outside, Tohru following them, pleading with them not to fight, though the seemed not to hear her, their own ears clouded with an angry red mist.

This is where Shigure showed up.

"AHH! NOOOO!" The dog ran up to the trio, arms flailing, just barely missing Kyo and Yuki's heads and he stopped in between them. "My house! THINK OF MY POOR DEFENSELESS HOUSE!"

"Okay, okay! Just… Stop waving your arms around, you might maim someone!" Cried Kyo, covering his face as Shigure's flailing arms just barely missed his nose – again.

"Yes." Agreed Yuki. Shigure was about the only thing Kyo and Yuki could actually agree on – he was a pervert. He was crazy. He was obsessed with his house. And most of all… He was perverted. Wait… Nope, that sounded about right. Not to mention him being perverted. But that was already obvious.

Anyway. Yuki.

"We wouldn't want you to accidentally strike Miss Honda, now, would we?" Questioned the rat, wrapping a protective arm around Tohru's waist. She turned a light shade of pink, but smiled slightly, letting his hand remain there. Pulling her closer.

Shigure's eyes narrowed. There was no way in _hell_ he would lose this bet! A grin spread across his face as a impromptu demonic plan popped into his mind. He waved his arms in the arm (less violently this time) and did a sort of… Indian-type dance around Yuki and Tohru.

"Yuki's a pervert!" He chanted very gleefully, "Yuki's a pervert! Yuki's a pervert!"

"Wha…? No I'm not!" Yuki was caught totally off-guard by these actions, and withdrew his hand from Tohru's waist very quickly. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in frustration as Shigure's chant continued, even with his arm removed from it's questionable position.

"Dammit dog. Shut up before you get yourself injured." Growled Yuki, his own temper rising. If his day hadn't been bad enough… He had to return to this slobbering excuse for an adult mercilessly being an idiot each night. It was enough to drive a rat-possessed teenager crazy!

Shigure finally quit when a fist connected with a wall that was lingering very near his face. He blinked a few times, tears welling up in his eyes. "My poor, poor house… You'll have to pay for that, Yuki!" He added, frowning at the teenager.

"As long as you shut up." Agreed Yuki, placing his head in his hands wearily.

Tohru had silently retreated into the house after Yuki had let her go. She had seen enough scuffles between the members of the household, and she really just wasn't interested enough to see another. Besides, she had work to do. Though, upon entering the house, she saw Kyo was already completing her chores for her.

"Ah… Kyo-kun…"

He looked up at her, raising his soapy hands from the dishwater. "What?"

Shigure's head peered around the corner, interrupting their conversation, a coy smile on his lips.

"Kyo! Tohru! Go fetch some fish for dinner, please! It'll be a nice little date… Away from the perverted Yuuukkiiii…"

His sentence was cut off by a crashing from the other side of the wall.

But Kyo and Tohru hardly noticed. Kyo had pulled his soap covered hands fully out of the water, and was standing upright, water dripping onto the floor, mouth open, staring at Tohru, who was staring just as rigidly at Kyo.

"D-Did he just say a _date?_"

**A/N: AHAHAHAHAHA. This is too much fun to write. Shigure makes me laugh. I can't wait to write Kyo and Tohru's date next chapter… I wonder what Aya will think about Shigure's interference… Hmm…**


	3. Insert Perfect Date Here

**A/N: HEY. I DON'T OWN FRUITS BASKET.**

_**Insert Perfect Date Here**_

Yuki was washing the dishes.

In a normal household, this probably would have been a strange feat. It would have been a perfectly normal action that everyone took turns performing. But this was not a normal household, by any standards. This was the household of the Sohmas, and in this household, Yuki Sohma did not do the dishes.

Unless completely and utterly necessary, as it was now. Tohru and Kyo had long since left on their date, and to keep himself from absolutely strangling Shigure with aggravation and anticipation, he had taken up performing Tohru's usual household chores instead of running after them, like he felt he should.

Shigure was trotting around the house, singing vivacious songs at the top of his lungs as he searched out various writing utensils and food ("Who put the cheese under the couch?!")… Most of these songs ending in Kyo and Tohru confessing their love for one another, making out, and… another things that Yuki really, _really_ didn't want to visualize.

As the dog's voice grew louder, Yuki squeezed his eyes shut, his grip tightening on the glass in his hands. When Shigure entered the room, he squeezed it so hard that it broke, shattering all over the kitchen, and into the soapy water. Yuki's eyes popped open, and he grimaced down at his bleeding hand/

"Ooh, Yuki's annngrryyyy!" Trilled Shigure, swinging open the fridge. "He doesn't want to think about Kyo touching Tohru's-" His voice trailed away as he turned to see Yuki, eyes gleaming with anger staring down at him.

"**Leave. Now."**

Shigure seemed to shrink down, and then slunk away, cowering. "Yuki's scary!" He mumbled to himself. When he reached his office, he sank down into his chair. Phase one complete. Now as long as Tohru and Kyo's date went well…

LINEBREAK

Okay, so it wasn't the ideal date, but Kyo would take what he could get. A small smile formed on the teenager's face as he watched Tohru, humming quietly to herself, inspect and gather up the fish that Shigure had requested for dinner. He loved watching every part of her –her long, wavy brown hair, with ribbons always tied in it, her sparkling brown eyes, so full of life, and her energetic smile, that brought the cheer to the room. And her smooth, cool hands in his.

A small tingle went up his spine. He ignored it. The smile played on his lips for a moment more, then turned to a grimace as she yanked him forward. Okay, she didn't really yank him, it was more of a gentle tug… But Kyo really wasn't one to be led around anywhere. He wanted to do the leading. He made a face as Tohru dragged him around the store.

But he wasn't complaining. He didn't want to ruin their date.

Tohru turned to face him, brown eyes peering into his. "What kind of milk would you like Kyo-kun?" She asked politely, giving him a very curious stare.

Kyo took this time to realize that she had dragged him to the dairy isle. Frustration welled up in him. She was _still_ catering to his needs, even on their damn _date_! His right hand balled up into a fist, but then he relaxed slowly. The last thing he needed was to screw this up, and have Shigure laugh at him forever.

"Kyo-kun?"

Oh. Right. She had asked him a question. "There are different kinds?" Asked Kyo stupidly. His amber eyes looked around, and he realized that there was indeed different kinds of milk. Many of them. Skim, and fat free, and whole, and 2.. He stared at it in wonder. What did it all mean?

Tohru giggled at his question, her smile never leaving her lips. Giving Kyo that tingling sensation in his stomach again. "Oh, never mind. I'll get what I usually get. 2 is fine, right?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Sure."

Then he was being dragged around the store again, this time to the checkout line. While she talked to him in line animatedly about the different kinds of milk, he examined their hands, which were clasped in each other's. Hers was so small and cool, while he was so… Big, and warm. Hers was tiny, and smooth, and felt fragile in his grasp, while his was a strong mass of bone and skin. They just didn't seem…_right_ somehow. They were so different.

"Kyo-kun?"

His gaze shot to hers. "Yes?"

"We can leave now."

"Oh."

They left, Kyo looking down at his feet, each of them walking in a sudden silence.

Kyo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stopped, right smack in the middle of the sidewalk, in the middle of town. Apparently, he thought that now was as good a place as any.

"Tohru…" He began, and paused.

"Yes?" She asked, stopping herself, just before her hand slipped from his, and stared at him very intently.

Bile rose up in his throat. "Tohru, I…"

"TOHRU!" A majestic, silk smooth, always optimistic voice cut Kyo off, and suddenly their hands were ripped from each other's by the infiltration of a body dressed in… well, a dress.

"Aya-kun!" Cried Tohru, smiling delightedly at this new, and unexpected arrival, while Kyo cursed angrily under his breath. "What are you doing here?"

"He works here." Grumbled Kyo, gesturing. Kyo's chosen confession place was one rather inconvenient: right in front of Aya's shop. The drastic irony of the situation stung very badly.

Aya smiled at Kyo, though in a rather cold, dry manner. "That's true, that's true!" He chortled. "And what, may I ask, princess, are you doing here?" His voice sunk an octave lower as he spoke, and he sank into something of a bow, his lips brushing her hand.

If Kyo had been a cat at that moment, his hackles would've raised.

But the girl, of course, took no notice of any of this. She smiled brightly. "Kyo-kun and I were on a date!" She chirped.

Aya's entire body stiffened, and he looked up at her dark brown eyes, slowly raising himself to his feet. Everything about him seemed to have darkened, so much so, that even Tohru, oblivious as she was, took notice.

"Are you… Okay Ayame-kun?" Her voice had taken a nervous, timid tone.

"Yes!" Cried the snake, tossing his long, silver hair over his shoulder. "I was just thinking… Why don't you and Yuki come by and visit my shop tomorrow? _Just the two of you._" He added, stressing the last sentence.

"Okay!"

Kyo growled in the back of his throat, reaching out, and grabbing Tohru's hand rather roughly, beginning to drag her away. "We gotta go." He mumbled through his teeth.

"Oh! You're right! Yuki-kun and Shigure-san will be worried. Goodbye Ayame-san!" She waved cheerfully to the over dressed man, who waved back just as enthusiastically.

"See you tomorrow!" He cried back, making Kyo walk faster.

LINEBREAK

When they arrived back at the house, it was to see Shigure pinned against the wall, Yuki grabbing at his throat. Shigure's bottom lip was quivering, giving him the look of (if you'll pardon the pun) a lost puppy.

"Yuki!" Cried Tohru, dropping her bags on the table, then pausing. "Oh… Um…Should I…?" She asked, edging towards the door.

"No, Miss Honda, don't worry." the teenager let go of Shigure, letting him slide to the floor, mumbling obscene things about Yuki's gender. "What is it?"

"Aya wants us to visit his shop tomorrow!" She stated brightly. As an afterthought she added, "Alone."

"Bastard." Muttered Kyo and Shigure in unison.

**A/N: There you are! CHAPTER THREE! Okay, so I have a question: I know that Tohru calls Yuki and Kyo Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun, but what are the other prefix-type things that she uses? I forgot… and I'm too lazy to go look for them myself. Hahaha. Will someone tell me? Oh, don't get all up-in-arms about the KyoTohru here. That doesn't mean anything yet. There will be plenty of YukiTohru too. Basically, I'm going to leave you all in agony until the end… REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


	4. Que Sera Sera? Not So Much

**Disclamer: Que sera sera. I don't own Fruits Basket.**

**A/N: Thanks for all the amazing reviews I've been getting… and the suggestions. **

_**Que Sera Sera? Not So Much.**_

Yuki's fingers tightened uncomfortably within Tohru's grasp. She was standing beside him, gazing at the magnificent building beside her: _Ayame._ He sighed deeply. Could his brother be even more pompous then he already was? Who the hell would want to come into a shop named after the manager?

As they stepped into the shop, looking around at the various colorful fabrics, with designs of various dresses hanging on the walls, Yuki made a face. Who would want to come here at _all_? But people did come here. Men. To fulfill their… What was it Aya had said again? Romantic fantasies.

Yuki felt vaguely sick.

He didn't have time to suggest leaving to Tohru though, for Aya had just burst in the door, dressed in a secretary's outfit, complete with skanky short skirt, and plunging neckline, not to mention the square-rimmed black glasses that sat on his nose.

Yuki's face was now absolutely green.

"Ah!" cried the man (transvestite?), throwing out his arms in a wide sort of welcome. He swept Yuki into his arms very ecstatically, seeing as he was unable to sweep Tohru into his arms. This both pleased, and.. horrified his younger brother.

"Nii-san…" Hissed Yuki through gritted teeth, "If you don't put me down _right now_, I swear to god I will. KILL. You." Suddenly, Yuki's feet touched the floor. He glowered darkly up at his cross-dressing brother, hand reaching behind him, trying to seek out Miss Honda's subconsciously. When his fingers connected with hers, he pulled back very quickly, taking a few steps to the left.

His face turned very rapidly red. Unsure of where to place his hands now, he settled with crossing them over his chest, fingers tensing and untensing, wishing that they were still intertwined with Tohru's. Wishing his arms were wrapped around her. Wishing…

Oh god.

He was a pervert. Shigure was right. Thinking those things about innocent Tohru… It just didn't seem right. His face paled back to it's normal color, and he broke away from his trance in frustration to find Aya, Tohru, and Mine staring at him.

"Um… Yuki-kun, are you feeling okay? You look green." the girl's voice was riddled with worry, and she frowned at Yuki, taking a few steps forward to place her hand on his forehead, brown eyes locking contact with his own violet ones.

He tried very hard to suppress the tingling shiver that wanted to escape. It wasn't like she had never touched him before. She grasped him and Kyo's hands all the time. A gentle nudge, a hand on their forehead, their shoulder, it was normal. But each time, it felt special to Yuki. Like she was doing it for him. Like she cared for him, and was concerned for _only him_. The kind of concern a mother would have. A sister. A girlfriend?

A small smile curled the prince's lips. His hand gently reached up, and grasped her wrist, pulling it away from his forehead. He looked down at it for a moment, the let go, watching her hand fall to her side, before his eyes found her brown ones once more.

"I'm fine, Miss Honda." His smooth, liquid voice answered softly. Tohru still held her look of concern for a few moments, but then smiled at the reassurance that the rat held within his gaze.

"Are you sure?" She asked, voice growing very quiet, eyes widening slightly.

Yuki opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Aya. "Perhaps we should move this romantic gathering into the back room? I wouldn't want you to be… disturbed should any customers appear."

Oh yeah. _They_ were still here. Yuki's face darked, and his voice became cold and distant as he spoke to his older brother. "If Miss Honda wants to." He half- agreed, turning his gaze to the floor, face turning red again. Romantic gathering?

"Sure!" agreed Tohru, who hadn't seemed to notice the implied innuendo.

"Perfect!" Cried the snake, and he grasped Yuki's arm, "Oh, we must dress you for the occasion! Yuki, you can come with me, Mine, take Tohru back and get her dressed!"

Mine's face lit up, and she grasped Tohru's forearm, pulling her away, before she even had a chance to object. Yuki palm gently slapped his forehead. A strong case of déjà vu was overcoming the grey-haired teenager, and he was beginning to feel quite dizzy from it.

LINEBREAK

Tohru appeared in front of them fifteen minutes later. Mine had not held back: Tohru was in a light pink dress similar to that of a maid's uniform. The skirt was short. Much too short for Tohru's liking apparently, for she kept tugging at it self-consciously. It's sleeves were puffy, and the sleeves, apron, and skirt were lined with white lace. To complete the outfit, she had a perfect pink bow on her head, titled very slightly to the left.

Aya gave a standing ovation, while Yuki himself stood, trying to breathe. She looked pretty, no, she looked BEAUTIFUL. Absolutely stunning. So much so, that….His hand reached out, gasping a lock of her brown hair gently, stroking it.

Tohru turned a shade of pink that surpassed the light color her outfit was made of. "Do I look silly?" She asked very quietly.

"No…" Mumured Yuki, catching her gaze, "No, Miss Honda, you look absolutely-"

Whatever she absolutely looked like was cut off by the intrusion of a very familiar face, that seemed to have burst through the back door without the consideration to knock. All four faces turned up towards the door. Yuki dropped Tohru's hair and jumped back a few feet, knocking into Aya, for fear that it was Shigure, come to tease Yuki about being a pervert some more.

It was Haru.

The boy stood there for a moment, brown eyes taking each one of their shocked faces in, and then stated very clearly, "Aya, I need a wedding dress for me and Yuki's wedding."

Yuki promptly choked on his own spit.

Somewhere not so far away, Shigure was having the best damn laugh he had had in the last six months.

"Um… Excuse me?" Asked Aya, his regal air failing him for once in his life. Tohru's jaw had dropped, and her face had turned extraordinarily red, while Mine had already begun to take Haru's measurements.

Haru brushed the pigtailed woman off of her impatiently. "Not _my _measurements. Yuki's. He's the one wearing the dress."

The most disturbing thing about this entire conversation (other then the image of Yuki in a wedding dress, kissing Haru), was the way he had said it all so calmly. Tohru stared blankly at him for a few moments, before she saw Yuki's teeth clench in her peripheral vision. She jumped forward, determined to stop any fight that could commence, and ruin Aya and Mine's beautiful dresses.

She gave her dress another tug as she stepped forward. "Haru!" She cried, walking up to him, a smile forming on her face as she ran her fingers through her long brown hair. "It's nice to see you again. Um… Why are you marrying Yuki?" Her brown eyes nervously flitted anywhere but his, trying to search out a topic that was less awkward to talk about.

"Tohru." Haru inclined his head slightly. He shrugged slightly. "Shigure paid me." Was all he offered for an explination. "Can I come over for dinner?"

"Bastard." Muttered Yuki and Aya quietly.

**Music for This Chapter: **_Things I'll Never Say: _Avril Lavigne


	5. Watch Your Back

**Disclaimer: I'm running out of things to say here. You get the idea.**

_**Watch Your Back**_

Dinner was a somber affair. Yuki and Kyo ate in silence, looking up from their plates only to shoot death glares at each other, as if they expected laser rays to fly from their eyes and _bzzt_ the other one into a pile of ashes.

As amusing as that would be, it didn't happen, and it wasn't going to.

Shigure sat silently reading his book, cheek setting on his fist, tearing his eyes away from the smut only to make crude comments about Kyo and Tohru, which didn't seem to help with the death defying glares Yuki and Kyo were sending towards each other.

The only people acting normal at the table were Tohru and Haru, who seemed to be able to hold intelligent conversation (or lack thereof) because of their complete oblivion to the actions of those around them.

Actually, Tohru noticed their angry glares, but she dismissed it as another petty fight. She wasn't really aware that it was about _her_. And, as long as they weren't throwing punches or people through doors, she could deal with their anger management issues.

Haru was explaining very animatedly (or as animatedly as Haru gets, anyway) about a part-time job that he had taken over recently at a day care just a few blocks away from Shigure's house. It was called _Sunny Smiles, _and Haru was in charge of watching the kids from 4-6p.m. every Sunday.

"Wait, wait wait. Hold on a second here. HARU is working in a DAY CARE?" Kyo's large, obnoxious voice interrupted the quiet murmurs of Tohru and Haru, and caused several birds to fly out of the tree outside.

Haru's reply was a short, "Mmm," With a nod of his head.

"But isn't that kinda dangerous?" Questioned the cat, narrowing his eyes, "What if he went black? and can you see Haru with little kids?"

"For once, I agree with the cat." Yuki's voice broke in, soft and slightly befuddled, his own violet eyes wide with curiosity, and head tilted to the side. "In fact, I agree on both accounts. What if you transformed, Haru? And… since when do you like children?"

Everyone was now so taken in by Haru's motive(s?) for his job, that they had forgotten their evil staring contest, as well as the food growing cold on the table.

"Haru… This isn't another of your schemes to impress Yuki is it?" Shigure's ringing voice brought back to mind the reason for the evil staring contest that they had all participated in earlier. Yuki gritted his teeth and concentrated very hard on the bowl of soup that sat before him. At this moment, his thoughts were something like this:

_I will not kill Shigure. I will not kill Shigure. Miss Honda wouldn't like cleaning blood off of the carpet, therefore I will not kill Shigure. _

But he was so tempted to.

Tohru, once again, nervously tried to change the subject – but she never had the chance. Because, in a flash of light, with some fireworks, and a little bit of angelic singing, Ayame Sohma was pictured in the doorframe, hair blowing in the wind, hands on his hips.

"Oh…Ah… Um…" Tohru stuttered, trying to think of what exactly to say. She was quite overwhelmed, what with all this excitement and confusion, and her body really couldn't take it anymore. "Oh…" She mumbled, before falling backwards, a hand on her forehead.

"AHHHH!" Both Kyo and Yuki jumped to their feet, reaching out to catch Tohru as she fell, (stupidly) forgetting that they wouldn't be able to catch her even if they wanted to. In a flash of muli-colored smoke, Yuki and Kyo had been transformed into a grey rat, and orange cat, each hissing and spitting each other, hackles raised in indignation. (Haru ended up catching Tohru. Cows can be very useful.)

Aya and Shigure were too busy glaring at each other. "May I speak with you, in the confines of your office, completely and utterly alone for a few simple moments of your time?" As Aya through gritted teeth.

"It would be my pleasure." Spat back Shigure, clutching his book very tightly, eyes narrowed.

LINEBREAK

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU ARE INTERFERING WITH DESTINY!" Screamed out the snake as soon as they were in the "confines of Shigure's office, completely and utterly alone." "THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES!"

"WHAT RULES?" Screamed back Shigure, slamming his book down on the table, "I DON"T RECALL ANY RULES! AND WHAT ABOUT YOU! YOU PLAY AS DIRTY AS I DO!"

"IN RETALIATION TO YOUR CHEATING!" Cried Aya indignantly, crossing his arms. "And really," He added, calming down, "You don't have to be so immature about it."

The dog glared, hands bracing himself on the desk as the two of them glowered at one another for a few moments. Then, finally,

"Fine." Growled Shigure,

"Fine." Agreed Ayame.

"Play how you want."

"I will."

"I just hope you know-"

"Be assured I do-"

"That this-"

"Means-"

"WAR."

**A/N: That chapter… had nothing to do with anything. But it was kinda funny to write, all the same. Well, Shigure and Aya fight like a married couple, don't they? But they really do mean it. Prepare for World War III! –evil grin- **


	6. Don't Jump to Conclusions!

**Disclaimer: Yo quero Taco Bell…. **

_**Don't Jump To Conclusions!**_

The thing is, a war between best friends is never a good thing. Especially when the war is over money, and consists in throwing hand-made figurative grenades at people who know nothing about it. In other words, torturing poor, hormonal teenagers for cash.

Ayame had taken to stalking Kyo, not too long after the argument. He would follow him home from school in taxi-cabs, and hide under his bed, riffling through his things after the cat had fallen asleep. He was searching for some evidence, something that would make Tohru turn against the red-haired fiend and fall (figuratively, once more) into the arms of his dearest brother Yuki.

The most exciting things he found was a half eaten bowl of rice, and a pair of pale pink underwear under Kyo's bed. Aya set the rice under Kyo's pillow, and pocketed the underwear. He sighed disappointed with the lack of secrets and porn contained within the adolescent's room. Seriously, what teenage boy didn't have porn?

"Oh dear," Whispered the silver haired man to himself, shaking his head, and contemplating Kyo's sleeping frame with a small frown. "It seems I shall have to create some misshapen rumor for this poor adolescent, as to aid my dearest baby brother in the ongoing war of love. And buy him some porn. Where on earth has this poor, forgotten child's porn gone?"

Kyo stirred slightly, giving a small groan in his sleep, and groggily blinked his eyes open. Rubbing them furiously until his blurred vision cleared, he came face to face with Aya, who had frozen, half-way out of Kyo's window, a pair of pink underwear hanging out of one of his pockets.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

LINEBREAK FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT

"Ahhh-ahh-ah.." Began Ayame, trying very hard to think of some elaborate lie to explain his predicament. None came to mind. And now Yuki, Tohru, and Shigure were standing at the door, blinking groggily.

"Aya?" Groaned Shigure, "What are you doing in Kyo-kun's room? My room is two doors down…"

Yuki promptly covered Tohru's ears, while he himself turned a very violent shade of red. "Nii-san? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Um…" He desperately searched his mind for something to say, but nothing came to mind. How the hell was he going to explain himself, hanging half-way out of Kyo's window?

"Uh… KYO WAS SPEAKING IN HIS SLEEP OF SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS WITH MY DEAREST BROTHER." He cried.

The pink underwear fluttered to the floor.

There was a very awkward silence for a few moments. Then both Kyo and Yuki's face turned the same shade of scarlet.

"WHAT THE HELL? I WAS NOT!" Screamed Kyo indignantly, trying to untangle himself from his sheets furiously. However, as he tried to stand, they sheets wrapped their death defying grip around him tighter, and he fell, flat on his face.

Yuki spoke from the doorframe, voice dripping with venom. "That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard, you perverted cat. Don't ever speak to me again, you scumbag." And with that final, less-than-terrifying speech, the rat went back to bed just as Aya fell out of the window, and Kyo screamed,

"I NEVER DREAMED OF ANTYHING LIKE THAT, GODDAMMIT!"

"I-I think I'll go back to bed now." Tohru practically whispered, stumbling away from the doorframe in a daze.

"WAIT-TOHRU-I DON'T THINK OF YUKI LIKE THAT!" Kyo's cries followed her back to her room.

LINEBREAK 

The following is the summary of Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki's conversations of the following day.

Breakfast: Awkward silence

School: Awkward silence

Walking Home From School: Awkward silence

Arriving Home From School: Awkward silence

Dinner: Awkward silence

Finally, after dinner, Yuki found the courage to break the extraordinarily awkward silence and invite Tohru to his secret base for some last minute gardening. Glad that someone was talking, Tohru gladly accepted.

"Oh, but… What about Kyo-kun?" She questioned innocently.

The rat cringed at the cat's very name, and turned his head to glare at Kyo's back. "Leave him alone. He's probably too occupied with his fantasies about me to care."

Kyo tensed. "Go fuck yourself." He spat over his shoulder.

"No thank you, apparently, _you'd_ rather do it."

LINEBREAK

Shigure was muy pissed offo. Aya had overstepped the rule of overstepping the rules. How the hell was he supposed to get Kyo and Tohru together if Tohru thought Kyo was gay?

"Dammit, Aya…" Grumbled the dog into his hand, brown eyes narrowed as he thought his hardest to come up with a plan. He stood, pacing very intently for a few moments, before he saw Tohru and Yuki walking off alone together.

Wait.

"AHA!" Cried the novelist, striking a heroic pose, "EUREKA, and the like! I've got it!"

So he had.

**A/N: Maybe I'm getting a bit carried away… but sneaking into Kyo's room seemed like something Ayame would do. Oh, and by the way, Kyo's underwear was only pink because Tohru accidentally washed it with a load of red laundry. He refused to wear it, which would be why it ended up under his bed.**


	7. Mayhem, Mishap, and Other M Words

**Disclaimer: I'm not dead yet! I feel happy! I feel happy! … I don't own Fruits Basket.**

**A/N: This chapter will be rather short, and possibly scattered. I wrote it while watching **_**House M.D**_**…**

_**Mayhem, Mishap, and Other M Words**_

Monday morning. Yuki groaned and rolled over onto his side, scrunching his eyes shut as he tried to drown out the alarm clock buzzing on the nightstand opposite him. When it didn't stop, he grabbed the pillow lying next to him, covering his ears. Yuki Sohma really was not a morning person. And, granted, he could sleep through just about anything.

"YUUUUUUUUUUUKIII!"

Except maybe that.

There was a crashing noise as the poor boy's door was slammed open, and moments later he felt himself being shaken out of bed by a Shigure that was a shade more than enthusiastic.

"Mmnnnfffsssssgure…" Groaned Yuki, eyes fluttering open groggily. As he stared up at Shigure, who was still enthusiastically shaking him, he noticed that something was different this morning. He wasn't quite awake enough to figure out what yet, but something was different. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" assured Yuki after a few moments of being practically attacked by an overenthusiastic black-haired male.

"May I ask what has you so cheerful?" Questioned the rat as he nimbly reached around the man hindering his path, and flicked off his alarm clock.

Shigure just smiled coyly. "It's time for Yuki the Pervert to get ready for schoooool!" he sang, before turning tail, and skipping out of the room.

Yuki was too tired to argue. He gave another groan and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Again, something felt… Different. Not right. He frowned slightly, and stood, walking in an almost robotic fashion to the bathroom, flicking on the light and shutting the door behind him. He turned on the water and grabbed his blue toothbrush out of the cup near the sink, glancing in the mirror as he brushed his teeth.

His scream woke up an elderly couple half-way across town.

LINEBREAK

"SHIIIIIIIIIGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Shigure glanced up from the book he was reading at the table. "Oh dear, he doesn't sound happy, does he?"

Tohru was wiping up the tea she has spilt all over herself and Kyo at the sound of Yuki's scream. "Shigure-san," She questioned, cocking her head to one side, and dabbing absent-mindedly at Kyo's chest with a cloth, "Why…"

Her question was cut off by the appearance of Yuki at the foot of the stairs. At the sight of him, three different things happened simultaneously: Shigure burst into a loud, unceasing bout of laughter, Tohru gave a sharp gasp, and nearly fainted, and Kyo spit the tea he had just started to drink all over himself and Tohru.

"Y-Yuki-" Spluttered Tohru, spitting out words and tea, "You- I mean – What – Your hair!"

Fists clenched in fury, the rat simply clenched his teeth and stared determinedly at the ground. His hair had been cut – rather badly – by "someone" in the middle of the night. The sides were hacked off unevenly so that one side hung above his ears, while the other dangled just below his earlobes. His bangs seemed to have disappeared completely, for the most part, except for the occasional mismatched wisp that hung into his eyes. The back was an entirely different story. Some chunks were long, and seemingly untouched, while others stuck out because they were so short. This might have looked okay, if it had been done in an orderly fashion, like layers. Instead, it was done completely randomly, making it look as if Yuki had just gone through a whirlwind of razor blades.

"I'm… Leaving. Now." Yuki half mumbled, staring up at them through the mess that used to be his hair. He bowed his head, and practically ran out the door, face and neck burning and deep shade of scarlet.

There was a few moments of shocked silence, interrupted only by Shigure's choking laughter.

Then, finally, Tohru spoke. "Oh! Kyo-kun! You have tea all over your school uniform!" Her voice held its usual note of panic, and she frantically grabbed the cloth, dabbing at his chest, one hand gripping his shoulder as she worked.

"Tohru…" Kyo tried to get her attention feebly. "Tohru… Tohru!" His voice became stronger, and he gently lifted her chin so that her eyes met his.

Shigure chose this moment to conveniently move his laughter somewhere else.

"Yes, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked very quietly, her breath catching in her throat, their noses almost touching.

Kyo looked away. "I'm fine. Go upstairs and change. We're going to be late."

"Oh… Yes Kyo-kun!" Tohru stood quickly, bowing, and dashed up the stairs, leaving Kyo alone with the snickers of Shigure coming from the other room. Kyo stood to his feet very suddenly, legs carrying him with a certain swiftness into the kitchen.

"Why the hell would you cut Yuki's hair?"

Shigure stopped laughing, and looked up from the table, his expression slightly stricken. "What are you talking about?" He asked, face trying to portray an innocence that not even Tohru would have believed.

"And why was Ayame in my room the other night? What the hell is going on, Shigure?"

"Eh heh heh… Nothing's going on Kyo. Go back to your simple little life, fawn over Tohru, and kick Yuki's ass."

Kyo frowned very deeply, fists clenching and unclenching tentatively at his sides. "Whaddya mean fawn over Tohru? I don't fawn over anyone!"

Shigure answered with a mischievous grin on his face, happy to have the subject changed. He stood from the table, and meandered over to the fridge, pulling the orange juice out of it rather gleefully. "Don't lie to me Kyo-Kyo… You looooooooove Tohru."

"I… Do not!" Answered the fiery haired teenager defensively, but his eyes told a different story.

"Kyo looooooooves Tohru!" Chanted the dog, skipping around the kitchen, open orange juice carton spilling orange liquid all over the kitchen floor, "Kyo loooooooves Tohru! Oh come on," he paused for a few moments, standing a few feet in front of the cat and taking a swig out of the carton, "Just tell her."

"I don't! And besides, even if I did, what would I say? Tohru I looooeeevvvinnng…." His voice trailed away, changing gears very suddenly, for he had turned to see Tohru standing in the doorway.


	8. When Mommy and Daddy Fight

**Disclaimer: Nope. **

_**When Mommy and Daddy Fight, The Children Get Hurt**_

"AHHhhhmnnffffiggle?" Questioned Kyo, trying desperately to make something up that would redeem himself, but instead only sunk him father into the hole he seemed to be digging. Tohru frowned slightly, tilting her head to the side curiously, but didn't say anything. Kyo wondered how much of the previous conversation she had heard.

"I changed, Kyo-kun. Are you ready to go? I hope we can find Yuki-kun on the way."

Her voice made him relax. Her face was a normal color, and nothing about her seemed nervous, or tense. So she hadn't heard anything. She must have walked in just as Kyo saw her. He was safe. Or, at least, he thought he was safe.

"Yeah, I'm ready. But don't expect me to look to hard for the damn rat, he's probably off crying about how Shigure ruined his pretty face." Kyo threw a "look" at Shigure over his shoulder, as he followed Tohru out the door, arms crossed over his school uniform, which was still damp from the tea that had been spilled on it.

Shigure smiled innocently and waved them away, watching them leave before he pulled a small bottle out from behind his back.

"**Bottle of Love",**

It read,

"**Pills packed full of special endorphins to help your love life become even fulfilling. Add to any drink thirty minutes before loving interaction. **

Then, there was a warning, which had been written over in magic marker.

**WARNING: DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN TWO PILLS AT A TIME. DANGEROUS LOVE OVER DOSAGES COULD OCCUR."**

Shigure frowned as he read the package through again. He hadn't noticed that little warning before. He gripped the bottle tighter, and realized suddenly, what he had done. His brown eyes widened, and choked a bit on his shock and indignation, as he realized that two very horny teenagers would soon be walking alone to school together, and then, two very horny teenagers – actually, one in particular, would be walking around a school filled with girls, while he himself was both horny, and cursed.

Oh. Shit.

"DAMN YOU AYA! DAMN YOU!"

LINEBREAK

He picked up the phone immediately, and called Hatori, hands shaking, and explained the whole situation to him over the phone.

"Well," Questioned the doctor, "How many pills did you give them? It couldn't have been that many.."

"Um… Three… Four... Five… …Ten…"

There was a clattering on the other end, and Hatori's voice could be heard in the distance, spitting obscene words faster then he could breathe. Then, there was another clattering, this one of Hatori picking the phone back up from where he had dropped it. He spoke as calmly as he could, irritation and shock etched into every word.

"_Ten?_ What is wrong with you? Honestly, Shigure, sometimes I wonder if you ever use that tiny little brain of yours. Well, the best advice I can give you is wait it out, and hope that Kyo doesn't try to molest some poor defenseless girl. Or Tohru. And enough of this little bet between you and Aya. It-"

Shigure rolled his eyes. "Thank you Hatori." He mumbled into the phone, before hanging up, leaving the doctor hanging mid-sentence. He didn't need to hear another lecture about how "bad" him and Ayame were behaving. He would win this stupid bet, goddammit!

Right after he saved the poor high school girls from scary Kyo.

LINEBREAK

Not too far away, Kyo was feeling a bit… Funny to say the least. Some certain urges were coming along that he wasn't sure he liked, and he was beginning to think some thinks about Tohru that he had never thought before. Some images came to his head as they walked, but he tried to shake them away. He wouldn't – couldn't think of Tohru that way. She was just too... innocent.

But, as easily as he'd normally be able to brush away these thoughts, they weren't leaving as easily today. Instead, they were actually coming on a whole lot stronger, and faster, than they normally did. He bit his lip, and tried to edge away from her, but she grabbed his hand.

"Ah…Tohru?" Everything inside him was tense, and he met her eyes cautiously. Her eyes were watching him with an intent curiosity, and she bit her lip, nervously.

"Kyo-kun?"

"Care to have a three some?"Both turned to find Haru standing beside them, his usual blank stare in place, though a semi-amused smile turned up the corner of his mouth.

Kyo saw Haru's face, and the strange, improper thoughts he had been having about Tohru intertwined with ones about Haru. He felt semi-breathless.

Wait a second here.

He was having those kind of thoughts about Haru? Something wasn't right here. "What the hell are you doing here?" Asked Kyo grumpily, pulling his hand out of Tohru's and crossing them over his chest protectively.

"Walking to school. Is that a crime?"

The weird feelings were rising up in his stomach again, and he resisted the urge to attack both Haru and Tohru, make out with them madly, and fuck them stupid. "Urhugh! Nevermind… Just… I have to go!" Kyo practically screamed in Haru's face, turning and running away as fast as his legs would let him, praying to god that Tohru wouldn't hate him for running off.

Tohru frowned as she watched Kyo's retreating back, her brown eyes alight with concern. "That was strange… Do you think Kyo-kun's okay?" She asked Haru, turning to look up into his eyes.

Haru shrugged absentmindedly. "He's probably fine. But now that your walking partner is gone, would you care to join me?"

LINEBREAK

On separate ends of the school, Yuki and Kyo were silently fuming.

Kyo sat in his classroom, trying to ignore his impending horniness, which deeper, and intensified with every pretty girl he saw, and was becoming harder and harder to resist.

Yuki sat in a boy's bathroom near the first year's end of the school, hands splayed out on either side of a sink, examining his hair.

Kyo punched a wall in his frustration as another extremely pretty girl passed him, and all his feeling spilled over. What was the matter with him?

Yuki slammed his fist on the counter as he surveyed his reflection angrily, all his feelings starting to spill over. What was the matter with him?

It had to be Shigure, Yuki and Kyo reckoned, the dog had been acting really weird lately. And Ayame. Something was happening. They were doing something. Kyo sudden extraordinary horniness, Yuki's hair, everything that had been happening the last week… It all came back to them.

Yuki turned on the water, and tried his best to wet his hair down and style it, fixing it the best he could.

Something had to be done about those two. Somebody needed to find out what they were up to. Whatever it was, Yuki and Kyo didn't like it. And after school today… After school today...

They would find out, and hell would be paid for what was being done to them.

"Kyo?" A quiet, feminine voice greeted his ears breaking Kyo out of his revenge filled mind.. "Class is going to start."

Kyo snapped out of his trance and looked up to find Yuki, lopsided hair and all, standing before him.

"Shigure-" He began gruffly, his amber eyes narrowed,

"And Ayame…" Yuki added,

"Something needs to be done." They finished together, eyes both glittering with the prospect of revenge.

"After school?" Asked Kyo, flicking his orange hair out of his face, which was now tense with excitement, hate, and an extreme over dosage of horniness which was currently affecting his ability to think straight.

"Certianly, stupid cat." Agreed Yuki, his own eyes alight with excitement, and hate, as well as framed by an extremely bad haircut which seemed to currently affecting his ability to think straight.

Then, they both turned and walked into the classroom together, anger clouding their minds and judgment.

When they knew what was going on…. Someone would break something.

**A/N: Sorry, TERRIBLE chapter. AHHH! But I wanted to write it, and get it out of the way. The next one will be better, **

**I promise!**


	9. Secrets, Lies and Alibis

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, but I DO own… paper.**

**A/N: This next chapter probably won't be very good. You see, I've kinda lost my imagination for this last week, and the next one… Our school's crappy musical, **_**Cinderella**_** is about to be preformed… and as the fairy godmother… well, not that you care, but it's pretty stressful. Xp long story short, I won't be updating as much. Until after Thanksgiving.**

_**Secrets, Lies, and Alibis**_

Yuki clamped his hands over his ears, sinking down in his seat, trying very hard to block out the whispers of the girls (and select few guys) surrounding him in the classroom.

"Yuki's hair-"

"Have you seen it?"

"What happened?"

What was he thinking?"

"Why? Oh god, WHY?"

In the front of the room, Sensei's eye was twitching, a finger to her forehead, sighing in frustration. There was no way to calm these rowdy fan girls.

"Sohma," She growled, "Your hair will cost me my career."

"Yeah?" replied Yuki softly, violet eyes flashing somewhat dangerously, "It may cost me my life."

Sensei chuckled a bit, eyes gazing around at the twenty or so murmuring fangirls who kept trading stories, whispering, and glancing at Yuki's hair simultaneously. Poor kid. All the crap he had to go through, being the best looking boy in the school. All the crap he'd go through in about five minutes, when they were dismissed for lunch.

Kyo, on the other hand, was sitting rigidly in his chair; eyes squeezed shut, hands clenched tightly in fists on his desk. Too many voices… Too many pretty girls… Too many girls in general. He was deeply resisting the urge to rock back and forth, trying to resist the urge he had to madly make out with the pretty blonde in front of him, or run off and buy himself some porn.

Both of the boys had totally forgotten about Tohru, who wasn't in class, and had last been seen in the clutches of Hatsuharu.

LINEBREAK

The bell rang, cutting through both the boys' self pity (and horniness), signaling lunch break. As soon as the bell was silenced, Kyo was out the door, practically crying in his effort to, well, for lack of a better term, er, "keep it in his pants."

Yuki tried to run out after Kyo, but was stopped by a flood of girls, who had blocked the door, hands on their hips, some of them wearing angry looks, others with tears dripping down their faces.

"Oh Yuki," Cried one, with blonde pigtails, and the face of a pig itself, "What happened to your hair?"

"Um-" He began, trying desperately to explain himself, but was cut off by a wail from another girl, the president of the Yuki fan club, whose name escaped him at the moment.

"Who could have done this to you, Yuki?" She practically screamed in his face, leaning against the doorway, hand pressed to her forehead. Histrionic down to the bone. He resisted the urge to scream at them. Tell them he didn't care what they thought. Tell them that he had somewhere to be (where?). Tell them to get out of his face and LEAVE HIM ALONE!

"Ooh," sobbed one of the girls, "Let's go. Yuki's so ugly now. I don't want to look at him."

Yuki felt his heart fall into his stomach. Ugly? He was ugly now? Did Tohru think he was ugly? What if… What if she didn't want to be friends with him, anymore, now that he was ugly? What if she wouldn't talk to him? What if?

"Excuse me," mumbled Yuki, pushing through the crowds of girls to the hallway, ducking his head in a failed attempt to hide his hair, his fan girls scattering as he pushed through them, off to the lunchroom to sob some more about their less-than-princely-prince.

"KYOOOOOOOOOO!" A very familiar, very irritating voice sang out from down the hall, and Yuki groaned, both outwardly and inwardly, a swell of anger rising up inside of him. That damn dog. Yuki balled up his hands into fists, gritting his teeth, absolutely shaking with rage, as Shigure's obnoxious voice grew closer and closer.

"KYOOOOO, OH KYOOOOO! WHERE ARE YOU MY LITTLE KYONKICHI! SHIGURE NEEDS TO BRING YOU HOME NOOOOOOOOOW!"

"AHH!" Yuki's voice came out in a yell, his hand reaching forward and grabbing Shigure by the throat with no thought to who was looking, and where he was. Within seconds, the dog was pinned up against the wall, with the hot, angry breath of Yuki Sohma blown into his face. Yuki's usually so calm violet eyes were flashing, his hand tightening around Shigure's throat, choking the air out of dog's lungs.

"W-Yu-Eh?" The dog spluttered, struggling to get away from the clutches of his enraged cousin. Yuki snapped out of his anger long enough to noticed several students were staring at him, and ducked into the nearest janitorial closet shoving Shigure into a shelf.

"Now listen, you STUPID DOG. You are going to tell me WHAT you and Aya are up to, and you are going to tell me NOW!"

LINEBREAK

Kyo had safely made it home. Everything was fine. Well, everything was fine, excepting the fact where Shigure had no porn channels (surprisingly), and Kyo would probably lose credit for all his classes from skipping so much. He was now beginning to note the absence of Tohru from his day after Hatsuharu had interrupted their walk so subtlety.

Kyo putted around the kitchen, opening the fridge, the cupboards, and even peering in the garbage can for a snack, but was greeted with a whole lot of nothingness. Tohru needed to shop again. Which left him to pondering once more: where on earth was she?

Tohru never skipped school, because of her promise to her mom, or whatever. So wherever she was, she couldn't be there willingly. And the only other person who had been with her was Haru. Which meant… Haru had gone black, and done something to her!

No, wait. Haru didn't have any reason to go black around Tohru. So someone else must've seen them. The image of a dark, scary man with a hatchet and a mustache popped into Kyo's mind suddenly, and his eyes widened in fear. Yep. That was what happened. A creepy stalker and murdered Hatsuharu, hidden the body in the trunk of his pick-up truck, and taken off with Tohru, preventing her from going to school,

"Dammit, I gotta find her!" Cried Kyo, slamming the refrigerator door shut, not noticing the note that had been pinned the door of the refrigerator fluttering to the ground.


	10. Confessions in a Broom Closet

**Disclaimer: Those who say Happy Thanksgiving do not own Fruits Basket. Happy Thanksgiving, by the way.**

**A/N: YAY! I DECIDED TO UPDATE! And… It's crunch time. Yikes. This story is almost over. It's nearing the end… Ahhhh!**

_**Confessions in a Broom Closet**_

"TELL ME! NOW! WHAT ARE YOU AND AYA UP TO?"

The screaming of a desperate young man filled the empty space in the broom closet Shigure and Yuki were crammed into, tensing the atmosphere even more then it already was. Shigure shrunk back a few more inches, brushing against a supply closet filled with various cleaning supplies, and grabbed a sponge, holding it out in front of him for protection.

"Umm… Now Yuki, don't be too hasty…" Began the older man nervously, almost knocking the shelf over as he attempted to back into it more.

But Yuki was beyond the point of reason. His purple eyes seemed to blaze red as he stood over Shigure, hideously cut hair mocking the novelist for all his worth. 'TELL ME!" Screamed Yuki once more, grabbing a broom and pointing it menacingly at Shigure.

Shigure couldn't withstand any torture, whether he wanted to or not. Giving a small wimper, he launched into the entire confession of what had been happening the last two weeks, without even pausing to take a breath.

"WellAyaandIwerereallyboredsowedecidedtoliventhingsupabityouknowbecauseweweresoboredandsoIsaidthatTohruandKyoweregettingitonandeverythingpleasedon'thitmeandAyasaidthatyouandTohruweretotallygoingtofallinloveandItoldhimaucontrareitwouldbeKyoandTohruandhesaidnoforIamAyameSohmaBitchandwegotintoahugeargumentwithendinghehehratherconesquentlywithAyaandIplacingabetonwhowouldwinTohru'sheartbytheendofthemonthandsowe'vebeentryingtoencourageeitheroneofyoutwotoconfessyourlovetoherbutbothofyouaretooSTUPIDtotakeahintandsoIguesswemight'vegottenabitcarriedawayinourattemptestowinthebetpleasedon'thurtme."

Yuki's eye twitched very slightly as Shigure finished his story. His rage had gone from loud and angry to silent and stony, which, in Shigure's opinion, seemed the worst kind at the moment. The adolescent was using all his willpower to keep from hitting Shigure at the moment, and it showed.

"Does Hatori know about this?" He asked, sighing heavily, knuckles turning white as he clenched the broom he was holding even tighter.

"Um… Yes?"

"Great. Well, we're going to get Kyo. and THEN, we're going to see Hatori. Let's go!" Yuki spat through gritted teeth, grabbing the shaking dog by his shirt collar, and dragging him out of the closet, out of the school, and towards the Sohma household, unaware of the whispers coming from the students who had watched Yuki and Shigure emerge from the closet.

"Was Sohma just in the broom closet… With a MAN?"

LINEBREAK

Kyo Sohma, needless to say, was not at the house that Yuki and Shigure were marching to. He was nervously scouring the neighborhood, searching for any sign of Haru, Tohru, or struggling that he could find. He had been so for the last hour and a half.

"Dammit, Tohru! You better be safe!" The cat groaned in frustration, running his fingers through his bright orange hair wearily. If something bad had happened to Tohru… He would never forgive himself. Or Haru.

Haru, that stupid bastard. Taking off with Tohru without thinking to talk to anyon about it first. Him and his stupid black and white hair, and his stupid smile, and his stupid fetish with Yuki and his stupid job at the daycare center on the corner….

Wait.

The daycare center on the corner! _Sunny Smiles,_ or whatever. That was where Haru worked!

Kyo broke into a run, each step faster than the next, his urgency to get there and see if Tohru was okay overtaking his common sense. He dashed across a busy street, jumped some small children playing, and knocked over an old lady on the sidewalk in his hurry to get to the daycare.

Slamming the door behind him, Kyo stood there for a few moments, panting, leaning on the door heavily for support. He was sucking in air as if he had just beaten Yuki's time for the 100 meter dash (which, thinking about it now, he had.).

After he regained his lungs, he looked up, eyes adjusting to the semi-dark room in which he stood. Gazing around, his amber eyes met brown and grey ones, befalling upon a scene that Kyo had never wanted to see.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

LINEBREAK

"Kyo? Kyo? Where are you, you stupid cat?" Yuki sighed. "He's not here. That idiot."

Shigure gave a small laugh, and a shrug, moving to slink away from the positively fuming rat, daintily moving on his tip-toes. "Oh well, Kyo's not here. Guess you'll have to forget about the whole thing, eheheh."

"Not so fast." Yuki's hand reached out, and clamped around Shigure's shoulder, dragging the almost sobbing dog back to his place. Yuki turned to look Shigure in the eye, pressing the phone into his hand. "Call Ayame. And Hatori. Now. Tell them… They have fifteen minutes to be here. Or else."

Shigure shivered slightly at the cold tone of Yuki's voice, hands shaking as he began to dial. "Oh, Yuki. Does anyone ever tell you you become more and more like a serial killer each day?"


End file.
